NBA Playoff Preview - Golden State vs. New Orleans

Apr 17, 2015 - 5:19 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors had one of the best regular seasons in NBA history. In fact, their 67-15 mark is tied for the sixth-best on the all-time list.

To say it was unexpected would be fair. The Warriors made the playoffs the last two seasons under former head coach Mark Jackson, but relationships, as they do, became strained and Steve Kerr went from the broadcast booth to Oracle Arena.

One of his first moves was to insert Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes into the starting lineup in favor of a pair of expensive veterans, Andre Iguodala and David Lee.

The move paid off dramatically considering both improved the team defensively, although Jackson left Kerr in good shape on that front. By featuring Green especially, it allowed the Warriors to switch almost everything and the result saw the team finish first in opponents' field-goal percentage.

Golden State also led the league in field-goal percentage offensively. The Warriors finished atop the NBA in scoring average at 110.0 ppg and that finally leads us to Steph Curry.

The guard is the front-runner for the MVP award. There will be more about him statistically later, but it's all very, very good. Curry has improved each season in the league and is poised to take his team to the next level.

Curry didn't do it alone. Klay Thompson is an All-NBA player. Green might be the Defensive Player of the Year and Andrew Bogut won't be too far behind in votes.

There's depth and a sense of purpose in Golden State.

"We have a goal to beat the Pelicans four times and then figure out who we play next," said Curry. "That's the expectation we've had and we have right now."

In New Orleans, it's a return to the postseason for the first time since the 2010-11 season, head coach Monty Williams' first at the helm. Since, the organization changed its name to the Pelicans, but the most important factor in New Orleans' success doesn't have anything to do with bird names.

Anthony Davis, had he been healthy all season, might have battled Curry for the MVP award. Davis, like Curry, is a fixture in the top 10 of several statistical categories and impacts the game more from a defensive side than Curry.

He is the centerpiece of a still-young team sprinkled with underrated veteran talent. Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Omer Asik, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday compliment Davis well.

If you believe in momentum, the Pelicans secured the final playoff berth on the final day of the regular season. All they did was knock off the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, who came into the contest with an 11-game winning streak and the Southwest Division and No. 2 seed at stake.

"When you think about it, the Western Conference is so tough," Anderson said. "There are so many great teams. To play against San Antonio, the defending champs, in one game that really, really matters, it makes this so much sweeter."

A first-round matchup between two first-team All-NBAers is about as good as one can hope for in a one-versus-eight battle.

MATCHUPS:

BACKCOURT: Curry averaged 23.8 ppg, 7.7 apg, 2.0 spg. He shot 91 percent from the foul line, which led the league, and 44 percent from long range. He made 286 3-pointers this season, which, in addition to be ludicrous, is an NBA record, topping his own mark from two seasons ago, by 14. And, Curry didn't even play in 17 fourth quarters this season because the Warriors were dominating so thoroughly and because Kerr has a heart. Plus, Curry's defense improved. Thompson is most likely going to make one of the All-NBA teams at the guard spot. He's one of the 10-best defensive guards, averaged 21.7 ppg, shot 44 percent from 3 and 88 percent from the foul line.

Jrue Holiday missed 42 games with a foot injury, but returned for three of the final four. His minutes increased to 25 in the finale. Williams didn't start Holiday when he came back, but the playoffs might be the time to do it. When healthy, Holiday is steady and a decent defender. Eric Gordon averaged his fewest points in seven seasons and shot his second-worst field-goal percentage. His 44 percent from behind the 3-point arc was a career-best.

EDGE: WARRIORS

FRONTCOURT: Green has turned into one of the most versatile and important players in the association. He can defend all five positions, and has. Green averaged 11.7 ppg and shot a respectable 33.7 percent from deep. Green is valuable in the postseason because he's an instigator and not afraid of the physicality of the playoffs. Bogut is all about defense and rebounding at this point in his career, finishing second in defensive rating. Sure, he could get Golden State a bucket here and there, but he patrols the paint and protects the rim and he's very good at both. Barnes started and Kerr did wonderfully bringing him along. When the team signed Iguodala last offseason, Barnes fell out of the starting lineup and drifted a bit. He was engaged this season, despite playing the same minutes per game, and shot 48 percent from 3-point territory.

What can anyone say about Davis? Fourth in scoring, eighth in rebounding, first in blocks, first in player efficiency, ninth in offensive rating, 12th in defensive rating and fourth in win shares. Analytically, statistically, or with the good-old eye-ball test, Davis is one of the best in the league. Evans enjoyed a very good campaign. His scoring was his highest since 2011-12, his rebounds, assists, field-goal and 3-point percentage all improved from last season. Evans was the only dependable option every night for Williams. His versatility is still strong. Asik is similar to Bogut in that he's not counted on for scoring. Asik is a rebounder and paint presence.

EDGE: WARRIORS (slightly)

BENCH: The Warriors' bench was the ninth-best scoring second unit in the league. Iguodala is still a plus-defender, who will finish games if defense is required. Marreese Speights is instant offense. Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa are excellent bench guards. Will Lee do anything for them in the playoffs? The two-time All-Star was a DNP-CD several times, but it's nice to have someone like him around if Kerr needs him. Festus Ezeli became a good big off the bench.

The Pelicans' bench didn't provide much outside Anderson. He missed significant time, but is still one of the best stretch fours in the business. Anderson shot 34 percent from beyond the arc. Dante Cunningham, Quincy Pondexter and Norris Cole will round out the rotation.

EDGE: WARRIORS

COACHING: Kerr has been masterful. Everything he has done has worked perfectly. Every decision has been worked better than originally imagined. Does he have what it takes to lead a team in the postseason? Kerr's two mentors in this sport have been Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, and they have more rings than a Kay Jeweler. He should be the Coach of the Year.

Williams had as much pressure to make the postseason as any coach in the league. The Pelicans made significant moves in order to be in this position, and, despite injuries to everyone but Evans, he led them to the playoffs. You have to respect that. He made the postseason his first season in New Orleans and lost in six games.

EDGE: WARRIORS

PREDICTION: The Warriors are the 10th team in NBA history to finish with a 67-15 record or better. Seven of the previous nine teams to do it won the title. The 1972-73 Boston Celtics lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks fell in the first round to ... the Warriors.

The Pelicans took a game from the Warriors at the end of the season in New Orleans. Prior to that win, the Pels dropped 10 in a row to Golden State.

This Golden State group is headed toward at least an appearance in the conference finals. They are clearly better than the Pelicans, who should feel good about the progress made this season.

SPORTS NETWORK PREDICTION: WARRIORS in FOUR